Losing Innocence
by Jay's Song
Summary: It had just seemed like an innocent exploit, leaving camp with my sister. Now it has become much more. Neither of us ever told anyone what we had seen. No matter how much we wanted to, we just couldn't. (A challenge for AdderClan.)


**A challenge for AdderClan: Innocent Eyes.**

(_Splashkit's P.O.V_)

I felt someone prodding at my side continuously, stirring me awake from my sleep. My eyelids fluttered open, and I found myself staring up into my sister's face. She never hesitated in waking others from their peaceful sleep, doing so only to amuse herself. It was humorous at first, but now it was annoying. I had lost hours of sleep, all thanks to her. I was her only brother, and thus I was the main victim of all her mischievous actions.

"Splashkit!" she chirped, her high-pitched squeak ringing in my ears. "I'm bored. Let's play. Now." I have to admit, she was very spoiled. She was a cute little thing, with large blue eyes and a fluffy gray pelt. She looked like a ball of fog, and it was no surprise her name was Fogkit. However, despite her annoying attitude, my family and I still adored her and loved her.

"Not now," I groaned, rolling away from her and burying my face into the soft warm moss of the nest. "Later, I promise."

Fogkit stomped a little paw, squeaking adamantly, "Noooo! I wanna play now! Please, big brother, please!" I groaned again, but obeyed her. Sitting upright, I regarded her with a sleepy gaze, my jaws stretching wide in a yawn. She always managed to hit my soft spot in calling me 'big brother', and I'm sure she knew my weakness well.

"What do you want to play?" I asked, heaving a sigh. I started to list off the choices expertly, "Mossball. Tag. Hide-and-seek. Rabbit. L—" She cut me off before I could continue.

"No, no, no!" she protested, wrinkling her nose and pouting. "We've played those over and over again. I wanna do something new!" This was going to be hard. I'm pretty sure we had played all the games in existence in the Clans. I've even made up a few myself. But my mind was so clouded with drowsiness, I doubt I could create another game in a short matter of time.

Tipping my head to the side, I mumbled tiredly, "Tell me what you want to do. I'll leave it all up to you." She might like that best—after all, she liked doing what she _wanted_ to do.

Fogkit began to gnaw on her lower lip thoughtfully, her plumy silver tail swishing back and forth rhythmically. My eyelids began to droop again, and my head nodded. I was jolted back into wakefulness by my sister's high-pitched voice. "I know what to do! I wanna explore the WindClan territory!"

For a brief span of time, I gawked at her incredulously. I understand she was very spoiled, and used to getting her way, but even _that _seemed a bit extreme for her. Every kit in the Clan knew that leaving the camp was forbidden—the rules had been expounded from the beginning. It took a while for me to speak again.

"You know we can't!" I stared at her, as if noticing her for the first time. "It's prohibited! You, even you, should remember that." She flattened her soft gray ears against her skull, scowling at me. Even when she scowled, she held a strange aura of innocence.

"I just wanna go out for a little bit. We'll stay so close to camp we can leap back inside if there's a patrol," she reasoned, glowering at me. Whenever she starts that glowering, it makes feel as if _I _were the one at fault. It didn't go well with my conscience.

"Um…well…" I faltered, uncomfortably shifting back and forth. It _could _work. It was still only beginning to be dawn, and every cat in camp was slumbering. My mother, Harefoot, was an unusually deep sleeper, and she wouldn't awake until the sun rose higher in the sky. Fogkit and I could actually get away with leaving camp.

Seeing me hesitating, Fogkit gazed at me adoringly, her large cerulean orbs brimming with affection. "Oh, Splashkit. Let's gooooo. Just a little bit," she pleaded. I gave in, my defenses broken.

We crept out of the nursery together. Ryetuft was guarding the entrance, so we snuck behind the elders den and began to scale the sandy wall. It wasn't hard, for there were plenty of grass tufts for claw-holds. I truly thought it was all worthwhile when we reached the top. I drew in a sharp breath of awe, and Fogkit had to stifle a delighted squeal.

WindClan territory was so large! A wide expanse of green grass and bushes, with small hillocks dotting the land. The fresh, sweet smell of heather drifted into my nostrils, stronger now that we were out of the camp. And there was another scent...An earthy, delicious scent. Rabbit.

"Rabbit," I breathed out, echoing my thoughts. I think Fogkit smelled it, too, for her jaws were parted and I could hear the soft inhale as she tasted the air.

"Rabbit," she agreed, her soft kitten fur bushed out with exhilaration. "It seems near." Just as she said so, a rabbit darted out of a nearby gorse bush, a brown streak, startling both of us. It was so close, I could distinctively see its bobbing white tail…going up…going down…going up…

Fogkit squealed in delight, sprinting off after the creature. She must have been attracted to the fluffy little tail, just as I had been. But unlike me, she had no self-control whatsoever.

"Wait!" I cried out, my legs mechanically moving to catch up with her. "We need to stay near camp, remember?!" She pretended she hadn't heard, her blue orbs gleaming with delight. I caught a glimpse of its bobbing tail, going up…going down. Oh, it was so tempting! Without knowing it, I continued bounding along, Fogkit at my side. The wind battering against my face felt so good, carrying with it the tantalizing scent of the rabbit and the aroma of dewy grass. I love this territory! We continued leaping along, laughing and giggling.

Suddenly, I noticed Fogkit wasn't running by my side anymore. Forgetting everything else, I skidded to a stop and peered over my shoulder. My sister was just standing there in the midst of an expanse of green, looking around with a confused expression. I sprinted over, panting.

"Sis, why'd you stop? This is fun!" I pranced around her, my eyes sparkling. She frowned at me, confusion still etched across her face.

"The rabbit scent is gone," she explained, disappointment evident in her tone. Her gaze swept the territory around her, and she glumly pawed at the ground. "We lost it." Oh. That was what she was upset about.

I rolled my eyes, irritated. "So what? We couldn't have caught it anyway—it was too fast. Look, it's getting late." I motioned to the brightening sky with my muzzle. "Let's enjoy the trip back to camp, okay? Forget the rabbit." She mumbled agreement, still looking dissatisfied. She always had wanted what she wanted.

As we walked along, following our trail back, I could smell whiffs of ThunderClan. I knew the scent—I could smell it every time a patrol returned from marking that border. But we weren't anywhere close to the border, were we? Why was ThunderClan's stench so near?

And then I heard laughing. Happy laughter. The laughter of a she-cat. A laugh I did not recognize belonging to any of my Clanmates. And there was another laugh, deeper and rougher. My eyes widened in recognition: It belonged to my father, Darktalon.

"Fogkit, wait a moment," I called out to her in a sharp whisper, stopping her in her tracks. I scanned the territory around me, and my gaze fixated on a hillock not far away. The laughter seemed to be originating from there, and with it the faint whiffs of ThunderClan scent. With a frown, I crept towards it. My sibling followed my example, thankfully staying quiet.

I neared the hillock and crouched behind a gorse bush, peering out between the branches. Two cats were sitting side by side at the hillock's base, a tom and she-cat, slightly obscured by other bushes. One of the pelts I recognized as my father's, and the other was unfamiliar. My frown darkened, and I strained my ears to hear what they were saying.

"…better get back soon," my father was telling the she-cat, a purr in his voice. "A patrol won't be coming through this place until tomorrow, and I'll have enough time to cover up your scent. Still, our Clans might wonder where we are."

The she-cat giggled, and my eyes smoldered in anger. Who was this she-cat?! Why was my father with her? "Ah, alright, Darktalon," she told him, rising to her paws. "I guess you're right. See you the day after tomorrow, same time, same place?"

"Of course." My father stood with her, and even though I could not see them clearly, I could tell he was nuzzling her. "Goodbye. I'll be thinking about you."

"I'll be thinking about you, too." The foreign she-cat gave my father a brief nuzzle before bounding away, in the direction of ThunderClan's border. My father stood there looking after her, but I didn't stay to do even that. Nudging Fogkit's shoulder, I hurried back in the direction of camp, hoping to beat my father to it, and trying to hold back angry tears. I never forgot what I had witnessed on that day.

oOo

It had just seemed like an innocent exploit, leaving camp with Fogkit. Now it has become much more. Neither of us ever told anyone what we had seen. No matter how much we wanted to, we just couldn't. He was our father, and we were only kits who didn't know what do to. I don't know why he started meeting that she-cat…maybe he didn't love Harefoot anymore. Still we felt a sense of loyalty towards him, even if he had betrayed us and my mother's affection. But do you know how hard it was to keep the secret, to keep our father safe? It has cost us our innocence. Even Fogkit's innocence. Look into our eyes, and you shall see that we were not the same as we were at the age of four moons. Now there is a secret haunting us, and no matter how hard we try we cannot forget it. Every time we see our father. Every time we see our mother. Every time we pass that hillock. Every time we see that she-cat at Gatherings. Every time I look at our Clans.

At last, my father himself revealed the secret to everyone. It was the day when Fogkit, now Fogbreeze, and I, now Splashclaw, were freed of our burdens. We were finally free. We felt like birds, held down for moons, but now able to take flight again. Fogbreeze would look into my eyes, and I'd look into hers. And there, deep in them, was reflected the bright glimmer which belonged to that of a cat with a new start.


End file.
